Asia Pacific

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Asia Pacific

Most countries in the Asia Pacific grant women equal rights to confer nationality to their children, with the exception of Brunei, Kiribati, Malaysia and Nepal. However, roughly 15% of countries with other forms of gender discrimination in their nationality laws are in the Asia Pacific region, discrimination which includes preventing women from conferring nationality to non-national spouses.

Upholding the most severe form of this discrimination, women citizens of Brunei have no right to pass nationality to their children in all circumstances. Nepali women do not have the right to confer nationality to their children. Children of Nepali women and foriegn fathers may apply to be naturalized citizens. While women citizens of Kiribati and Malaysia have the right to confer their nationality to their children born in the country, children born abroad do not have the right to their mother’s nationality. Nationality is granted at the discretion of Federal Authorities to children born abroad to Malaysian women.